Hidden Truths
by nega saiyan
Summary: Lucy has been ignored for two weeks because of Lisanna, but instead of just letting it continue, she actually talks to Lisanna. The two end up deciding to go on a mission together. While that was happening, a mysterious man joined the guild. Lucy then decides to have him join her and Lisanna on their job. While the three begin their journey, new threats and truths will arise.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It has been two weeks since Fairy Tail started celebrating Lisanna's return from Edolas. At the moment, Lucy is starting to slowly feel more and more alone in the guild. Everyone has left Lucy to celebrate Lisanna's return. At first, Lucy didn't mind, but she soon started to feel neglected. Lucy now wears a usual outfit that was a black tank top, blue ankle length cargo pants, black boots, and a blue sleeveless hoodie jacket.

_"Jeez, I can't believe that they're still partying. I mean, Lisanna does seem nice and all, but still." _Lucy thought. She looked over to her team's table from the bar to see almost half of the guild surrounding Lisanna, who was continuously laughing at her friends antics, mainly Natsu and Gray fighting.

"Well, might as well get a job to pass the time. Again." Lucy mumbled.

For the past two weeks, Lucy had been taking easy solo missions. She walked to the request board and right before she was able to pick out the job, Lucy felt immense heat coming up from close behind her and she was suddenly sent flying until she fell to the ground.

"GAH!" Lucy cried.

Next thing she knew, she was on the ground, writhing in pain from a massive burn mark that was bleeding that covered all of her left arm and part of her coat was burnt. She was able to figure out that Natsu must've used his magic against Gray and Natsu missed his target.

"Natsu! Be more careful!" Erza shouted. Lucy felt some relief after hearing that, knowing Erza would scold Natsu for sure.

"Yeah, Flame Brain. You could've hit someone." said Gray. Lucy felt her heart sank after hearing that. Did they really not notice Lucy so much that she was practically invisible to them?

"Natsu, please try to be more careful. You may not be so lucky next time when someone may be standing there." said Lisanna.

"Hehe. Alright, alright. I'll be careful." Natsu said with his usual toothy grin.

Everyone then when back to their daily business. Lucy struggled to push herself onto her feet after being hit by Natsu's attack. She was able to get up, but she had to lean against the wall for support. She breathed heavily as she looked at all of her friends around Lisanna again.

_"Alright, that's it. Tonight, I'm talking to Lisanna." _Lucy thought.

After determining that, she had to drag herself to the infirmary and bandage up her whole left arm, shoulder, and hand. She also got out a new jacket that was just like her old one. Lucy then stayed in the guild until almost everyone had gone home, or got drunk enough to sleep on the floor. Soon after that, she saw Lisanna get up and begin to head outside. Lucy saw this and quickly ran after her.

"Hey, Lisanna! Wait up!" Lucy cried out. Luckily, Lisanna heard her and stopped walking and turned around on her heel. When Lucy caught up with her, she had to stop and catch her breath.

"Oh, hey. Lucy, right?" said Lisanna.

"Heh. Yeah, that's me." said Lucy, scratching the back of her head. Lisanna quickly noticed Lucy's bandaged up arm. Blood stained the bandages all over from underneath.

"Oh my god! What happened to your arm!?" Lisanna exclaimed. Lucy felt a slight spark of shock hit her when she heard Lisanna say that. She then calmed down and let out a loud sigh.

"Jeez. I guess my feelings are justified after all." said Lucy.

"Huh?" Lisanna said, slightly confused.

"Natsu's attack that he tried using against Gray this morning hit me and no one noticed." Lucy explained. Lisanna put her hands over mouth and her eyes widen in shock.

"D-don't worry about it, really. This is actually why I wanted to talk to you. Me being forgotten like that has been going on for two weeks now, ever since you came back." Lucy said sadly. She suddenly heard sniffing and soft sobs and when she looked at and saw Lisanna starting to cry waterfalls.

"Ah! D-don't cry! I swear I don't blame you for this!" Lucy said panicking.

"I...I'm sorry...It's just...it sounds like it's my fault...and you got hurt so badly...and no one noticed you..." Lisanna sobbed. Lucy hesitantly gabbed Lisanna's shoulder and pulled her into a hug. Lisanna was shocked by Lucy's action.

"Don't worry about it, really. I was ignored for almost sixteen years back home. Two more weeks won't kill me." said Lucy softly in Lisanna's ear.

More tears made their way to Lisanna's eyes and she wrapped her arms around Lucy's waist tightly as she cried some more. The two of them slowly stopped hugging each other. Lucy had to wipe away some left over tears on Lisanna's face.

"The reason why I wanted to talk to you was because, well, since everyone seems to pay so much attention to you, I was wondering if you could help me out a little." said Lucy.

"I'm so sorry Lucy...this is all my fault..." Lisanna continued to sob. Lucy let out another loud sigh, seeing that Lisanna just couldn't help but to blame herself.

"Alright, if you feel that bad about it, how about the two of us go on a mission together? Just the two of us." said Lucy.

"D-do you mean it?" Lisanna asked, slowly beginning to stop crying.

"Of course. Meet me at the guild tomorrow at twelve and we'll choose a job together." Lucy said.

"Alright, sure!" Lisanna said excitedly.

"Great, see you tomorrow." said Lucy as she walked past her, waving her hand.

"Right, and I'm still sorry Lucy!" Lisanna called out.

"Like I said, don't worry about it!" Lucy shouted back and she left Lisanna's sight.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back at the guild after Lucy and Lisanna left, a mysterious man in a cloak came into the guild and made his way up to the Master's room.<p>

"Damn. I can't believe how much stuff those brats have destroyed." Makarov mumbled as he sat on his desk, surrounded by piles of paper. He then suddenly heard someone knock on his door.

"Come in!" Makarov shouted. The door slowly opened and a man in cloak entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"Are you the master of this guild?" the man asked. His voice made Makarov guess that he was somewhere around eighteen or nineteen, and he looked to be just a few inches shorted than Laxus.

"I am. And who might you be child?" asked Makarov. The boy swiftly removed his hood and revealed a young man with white-bluish hair, like Yukino's, that was tied up in a pony tail that reached on his lower back. He had hair in between his eyes and on the sides of his face. Also, his eyes were a dark yet bright shade of purple.

"My name is Zander Kuziki. I would like to join Fairy Tail." he said firmly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**(TIME SKIP...MORNING)**

After getting back home, Lucy first took a bath and went to sleep. Now, the sun has risen and Lucy is slowly beginning to wake up. She first sat up to stretch her arms high into the air as she looked at her clock. It read 9:30 a.m.

"Oh well, better get some breakfast." said Lucy as she got out of bed.

She first got out of her pink pajamas and put on her usual outfit that she had on yesterday. She then brushed her hair out to just leave it flowing behind her. Lucy went to her kitchen and made herself a stack of pancakes that she ate peacefully, since there was no particular pink haired dragon slayer barging in any more. Around the time she finished, it was past 10:00, she left her apartment to go to a special weapons store where she wanted to buy a new weapon for herself, seeing that a whip just wasn't cutting it anymore.

"Ah, welcome to my shop little lady! So, what can I do for ya'?" the old shopkeeper asked after Lucy entered.

"Hey old man. Listen, I need a weapon that can be very compatible with celestial spirit magic and that is very powerful. Got something like that?" Lucy asked. The old man placed a hand on his chin for a few moments until his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers.

"I got just the thing!" said the old man.

He rushed into his back room, where Lucy could hear him searching through all the stuff back there, until he came back out holding a black wooden box. He slowly opening it to reveal two silver steel daggers with gold edges that had red handles.

"These daggers were made with the most precious types of magical metal and when anyone covers the blades with their own blood, the blades can cut through anything. But for celestial wizards, they can have it extend to any length and size along with being able to cut through anything." the old man explained.

"Amazing!" Lucy said awe struck.

"Alright then, that'll be 50,000 jewel." said the old man.

Lucy fell anime style after hearing the price. When she got back up, she had a slightly large tick mark on her forehead. She then got out the amount that she needed to buy the daggers. Since she paid for her rent the other day, she was ok with buying the expensive weapons. As a bonus, she also got a free black belt to hold the daggers in. Now she headed back to the guild, now with two belts for her weapons and keys, to wait for Lisanna. After getting there, she immediately felt that something was different. She quickly scanned the guild and soon noticed a new face. It was a guy who had very light blue hair who was wearing a black sleeveless turtle-neck with gray jeans and purple flats, who was sitting at an empty table alone.

"Well, he's new." Lucy said with a smile. She looked around and noticed everyone talking in small groups.

_"And once again, everyone's just waiting for Lisanna." _Lucy thought as she let out a loud sigh. She then made her way over to the new member.

"Kinda lonely here, don't you think?" Lucy said behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see the blonde mage hovering above him. His expression was a mix between shock and confusion.

"Hehe. The name's Lucy. My guess is you're new here." said Lucy sitting down beside him.

"That's right. My name is Zander." he said.

"Zander huh? Well, welcome to Fairy Tail. Tell me, what brought you here?" Lucy asked. His eyes slightly widened, also clutching the mug in his hand tightly.

"Just work." Zander said.

"That sounds like what Gajeel said the first time we saw him here." said Lucy.

"Gajeel?" said Zander said in a curious tone.

"Oh, he's the metal dragon slayer of Fairy Tail. We have two others, well three technically." said Lucy. Just after saying that she saw the doors open and there stood her white haired friend. Lucy got up and began to wave her hand in the air.

"Hey, Lisanna!" Lucy called out.

Lisanna quickly waved back, but soon a mob of people swarmed around her. Lucy ended up being nocked down to the ground and having her left hand get stepped on. She had to bite her lips to hold in a shout of pain.

"Need a hand?" Zander asked, standing over Lucy with a hand extended to her. Lucy gladly grabbed his hand.

"Thanks. Guess I should've warned you about that. Ever since a friend of almost everyone's came back, they've been oblivious to practically anyone who doesn't fawn over Lisanna." said Lucy.

"Who's Lisanna?" asked Zander. Just as he said that, the said white haired mage appeared beside Lucy. Lisanna also seemed out of breath.

"That would be me. Sorry Lucy, everyone crowded me before I knew it. I had to push my way through." said Lisanna.

"Don't worry about it. Go choose a job and I'll see if we both like it." Lucy said. Lisanna nodded her head and rushed over the request board. After Lisanna left Lucy and Zander, Team Natsu came over to them. Lucy had a smile grow on her face.

"Hey, Lucy. Have you seen Lisanna? We wanna have her go on a mission with us." Natsu said. The smile that was on Lucy's vanished. She looked at her team's smiling faces and unconsciously gripped her left arm that was still covered in bandages.

"...Actually, Lisanna and I are going on a mission together today." Lucy said. All of Team Natsu's expressions turned to one of shock and disbelief.

"What? Why would she want do that?" Erza questioned. Lucy was about to say something, but she stopped herself when she replayed what Erza said in her mind.

"Wait, what do you mean 'why would she want to'?" Lucy asked. Erza quickly realized what she had said, and so did her team mates, and her placed a hand over her mouth as her other friends looked at Erza in a bit of shock.

"Tell me!" Lucy demanded, causing the whole guild to look their way. Team Natsu all had a look of guilt on their faces, but Natsu stepped forward.

"Well, Lucy, you see, the whole guild has kinda been talking how you are kinda one of weakest members in the guild. And, it's just, Lisanna seems a lot stronger than you-" Natsu began explaining, but before he could continue, he was slapped, hard. It cased him to fall flat on his back. When he looked up to see who it was, he was surprised to see a huffing Lisanna.

"L-Lisanna?" Natsu said as he slowly got back onto his feet.

"What the hell Natsu!? How can you talk to Lucy like that!? Especially after ignoring her for two whole weeks!" Lisanna shouted.

Team Natsu's eyes widen after hearing Lisanna talk, then they all started hearing choked sobbing. They all looked behind Lisanna to see a crying Lucy who had one hand over her eyes that still had tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh Lucy." Lisanna said as she wrapped her arms around Lucy's shoulders. Lucy soon stopped crying.

"Come on Lucy. We have a job to do." said Lisanna as she grabbed Lucy's wrist.

"Hold on a sec." said Lucy. Lisanna looked over shoulder as Lucy slowly pulled her wrist away from Lisanna to look at Zander.

"Hey Zander, since you're being ignored as well, wanna come with me and Lisanna?" Lucy asked.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**(A/N: Hey guys! Ok, since some people have asked about this, yes, it is a LucyxOc ship.)**

"Seriously? But, we just met." said Zander.

"Doesn't matter. We are in the same guild after all. And this will give me a chance to help explain everything that's going on around here to you." Lucy said.

"He's part of the guild?" Gray said.

"Of course. He just joined." said Lucy.

"Lucy, wait. I must object to this. You know nothing about this man." said Erza.

"Shut it! I don't have to listen to you if you don't even think positively about me." Lucy scolded. Erza took a step back from shock after hearing that. Lucy was about to walk past them when she felt someone grab her wrist. She looked down and saw it was Wendy.

"Lucy, please don't leave mad at us. I mean, you can't blame of us for thinking this way about you." Wendy said. Lucy's eyes slightly widen.

"What?" Lucy said in a questioning tone. Wendy realized what she had said and took a few steps away from Lucy. That was when Cana started to intervene.

"Listen Lucy. We all think you're a great person and all, but face it. We all know that you can't really handle real missions on your own and you almost always need people to fight your battles." said Cana.

"Cana!" Lisanna shouted. Cana stopped talking after that, she then noticed Lucy shaking and more tears were streaming down her cheeks as she gritted her teeth.

"Well? Does everyone feel this way?" Lucy said loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone in the guild looked to the ground as they all murmured in agreement. Lucy tightened her fists even more, which caused blood to come out of her fists.

"Fine. If that's how feel, then I won't burden you anymore. After I get back from this job...I'll quit Fairy Tail!" Lucy shouted. The entire guild gasped in shock.

"Lucy, you can't be serious!" said Natsu.

"Zander, Lisanna, let's go!" Lucy as she grabbed their wrists and had them follow her.

"Lucy!" almost everyone shouted, but Lucy didn't even look back.

The guild doors slammed behind them. The entire guild became completely silent. What no one knew was that Master Makarov was watching the whole thing from the second and he a very angry expression on face after seeing what happened.

"I hope you are all proud of yourselves. Now, when she comes back it'll probably be the last time we see her. For all of your sakes, I hope Lucy will change her mind while on her job." said Makarov.

That's when everyone noticed he had been watching the whole thing. Makarov went back into his office, while also slamming the door behind him. The entire guild all felt nothing but guilt after that. It was so silent that you could hear a pen drop. Soon, a few choked sobs began to brake out.

"Lucy..." people sobbed.

* * *

><p>*Outside the guild*<p>

After getting a good distance away from the guild, Lucy let go of Zander's and Lisanna's wrists.

"Lucy, don't you think leaving the guild is a bit rash?" Lisanna asked.

"You heard what they said Lisanna. Why would I want to stay somewhere where I'm not wanted?" Lucy said, clearly referring to her past with her father.

"Anyway, sorry about dragging out of there Zander. I just didn't hear a no from you." said Lucy.

"Don't worry about. Besides, after that scene back, there I probably would've followed you anyway." said Zander.

"That's good to hear. So, Lisanna, what job did you pick out for us?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, right!" Lisanna exclaimed. She quickly pulled out the piece of paper that was folded inside her pocket and read it aloud.

**Help wanted:**

**Rogue bandit wizards in forest killing citizens**

**Rosa village**

**Reward: 90,000 jewel**

"It's a really high reward. Do you think that the wizards are really that strong?" Lisanna asked.

"I don't know. What do you think Zander?" Lucy asked. She waited a few moments, but when he didn't reply, Lucy looked over at him to see him spacing out while staring at the ground.

"Hey, Zander, hey." said Lucy as she snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Huh, oh. Sorry." said Zander.

"Don't worry about. Anyway, I luckily checked the departing times of the next trains before getting to the guild. And I think I remember seeing one heading to Rosa in less than two hours." Lucy said.

"Wow. That's a real coincidence." Lisanna said.

"Yeah. Since Rosa is nearly on the other side of Fiore, it may be a three day trip by train. So, you two gather what you'll need and meet at the train station. See ya' later!" Lucy said before running off.

"Jeez, Lucy!" shouted Lisanna, running off in the same direction. Zander was the only one left there, watching the two girls run away laughing and smiling. While watching them, he couldn't help but laughing quietly.

"Being around those two should quite a lot of fun." mumbled Zander. Suddenly, something in Zander's pocket began to glow. He quickly moved into a dark alley and took out a small communication lacrima.

_"Heh. Took you long to report in. Well, has the job been done?" _a rough voice came out of the lacrima.

"Sir, please give me more time. I...I just got into the guild. I have to gain their trust." said Zander.

_"You better not fail me, boy." _said the voice.

The lacrima's light quickly died down and he shoved it back down into his pocket. He then leaned his back against the wall and put a hand on his head while letting out a sigh of frustration. Zander looked at the ground with a sorrowful look in his eyes while remembering Lucy's and Lisanna's smiling faces. Son it was just Lucy's.

_"I just met these people and this is only for work...so how could I have fallen so hard?" _Zander thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After all three of them went there own ways to pack for their long journey, they would all come back and meet at the train station. Lucy was the first one there.

"Hey, Lucy!" Lisanna called with Zander behind her. Lucy saw her friends and waved.

"Hey guys! Great timing, people are boarding the train. Come on." Lucy said, gesturing for her friends to follow her. They did what they were told and followed Lucy on the train. It departed shortly after they boarded. Lucy and Zander sat beside each other while Lisanna sat across from them.

"Hey, doesn't it seem like no one else is on the train?" said Lisanna. The three of them looked around and literally saw no one else around.

"Yeah, but remember, we are heading to a place where people are being killed. People who usually can't defend themselves don't want to go to places like that." said Lucy.

"Speaking of defending yourself Lucy, I've been meaning to ask. Where did you get those daggers?" Lisanna asked.

"Oh, these? I got them from Magnolia's local magic store. The old man said that if celestial spirit mages cover these daggers with their blood, they can cut through anything and can extend to any length and size." Lucy explained.

"You're a celestial wizard?" Zander asked.

"That's right. We never told you about ourselves. Anyway, yes. I am a celestial wizard. Lisanna is an animal-soul takeover mage. So, what's your magic?" asked Lucy.

"I'm a 4th generation ice wolf slayer." said Zander.

"Wolf slayer?!" Lisanna said in a surprised tone.

"That's right. And being a 4th generation slayer, I can actually gain the properties of a wolf, even transforming into one." Zander said.

"That sounds really cool. Can't wait to see it in action." Lucy said with a sly smile.

"Also, just where did you come from before joining the guild?" asked Lisanna.

"...A small village in the west." answered Zander hesitantly. Lucy was the only one to notice, but she let it slide.

"Ok Lisanna, let's stop interrogating him. He's new here. We'll learn enough about him when we start the mission." said Lucy.

"Fine, fine. Well, I'm gonna get some shut eye since his trip is gonna last three days." Lisanna said before laying down on her side and closing her eyes. In a matter of seconds, they could hear her silently snoring.

"Haha. When anyone falls asleep, even the strongest or evilest of people seem harmless. Don't you think?" said Lucy.

"Yeah." said Zander.

The next thing he knew, he felt something lean on his shoulder. When he looked to his side, he saw Lucy laying her head against his shoulder with her eyes shout. A faint blush made its way to his cheeks after seeing her look so innocent.

"Um, Lucy?" Zander whispered.

Lucy silently moaned as she wrapped her arms around his arm. His blush became redder and he could only sit there and do nothing, seeing that Lucy was sound asleep and would not be letting go of his arm ant time soon. Zander eventually fell asleep as well. It was night fall when the first person, Lisanna, woke up.

"Dang. How long was I out?" Lisanna mumbled.

She immediately stopped mumbling when she saw Zander and Lucy. While Zander was leaning against the window and had his harm around Lucy's shoulders, Lucy had her chest on Zander's chest with her arms wrapped around his waist. Lisanna couldn't help but silently laugh while wishing she had brought a camera. She was about to creep up on them and scare them awake, but there was suddenly a loud crash that caused the train to shake. Lisanna was thrown back into her seat and Zander and Lucy jolted awake. After seeing their position, they both scattered away from each other while blushing hard. The train suddenly shook again.

"Lisanna, what's going on!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"I-I don't know!" said Lissana.

This time, their whole train car was thrown onto it's side. That lead them to believe that the entire train was thrown off of it's track and was skidding across the ground for a great distance. They all had to hold on to something to avoid getting thrown around. Soon, the train began to slow down, but the car they were in slowly began to feel like it was pointing upward.

"Oh god, this is bad! Guys, the train car is about to go off a cliff!" Lissana shouted. The ground beneath all of them then disappeared under their feet. Lisanna and Zander just barely grabbed the seats right beside them, but Lucy reacted to late and was falling to the back of the car.

"Lucy!" exclaimed Lisanna. Luckily, Lucy landed on the wall of the back of the car, just barely missing the door that was now wide open and revealed a far drop down to the ground since the car they were in was the very last one.

"You ok Lucy?" Zander asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine-" Lucy trailed off. Zander's grip suddenly let go and began to fall himself.

"Ah crap!" Zander cursed.

"Zander!" exclaimed Lisanna.

Lucy saw him falling and could predict that he would likely fall out through the open door. To prevent that from happening, Lucy backed up a few feet to get a running start before jumping right as Zander was in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his waist to make she would not lose her grip until they both landed on the other side of the car. Luckily, they both made it. Lucy slowly let go of Zander and used her arms to support her while she laid on top of him.

"Zander, are you ok?" Lucy asked.

"Um, yeah. I'm alright." answered Zander. The two pulled away from each other to see Lisanna in her bird take-over form.

"Come on you two. We have to see if any other people need our help." said Lisanna.

Zander and Lucy nodded as they each grabbed one of Lissana's legs. Lisanna flew all of them out of their car and they all pasted the other cars that were all on their side, but none of them saw a soul in the other cars, they didn't even see the conductor. They all made their way back to the train tracks to see if they cold find any evidence of someone attacking it. Lisanna had turned back to normal by now.

"Why would someone want to attack a train, I mean, what motive would they have?" Lucy asked out loud.

"Maybe they were part of the group of mages that threaten Rosa, so they tried to kill us before we got there." said Lisanna. While they talked Zander was looking closely at the tracks. He somehow saw some scorch marks on the metal railing of the tracks and part of the ground. Along with dents in the tracks.

"What's up Zander? Did you find something?" Lucy asked behind him. Zander looked over his shoulder to see Lucy standing over him. He slowly began to stand up.

"This was caused by either fire or explosion magic, along with either intense wind or sword play." said Zander.

"Wow. You found all that out just by looking at the whole scene?" Lisanna said awe struck.

"Lisanna!" Lucy shouted. She pushed Lisanna back a few feet and before anyone could saw something, blood shot out of massive shut over Lucy's right shoulder and a small part of her right cheek. Zander's and Lisanna's eyes shrunk as they saw Lucy slowly begin to fall to the ground.

"LUCY!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lucy now laid on the ground, clutching her right shoulder as it bled uncontrollably, while letting out low grunts of pain.

"Lucy! God, what happened!?" Lisanna said, running to her friends side. Zander could just stand there dumb struck. Everyone then heard some rustling behind a near by bush and looked in that direction. They could all soon saw a figure coming closer to them.

"Well, that was a disappointment. I thought for sure one of you would die from that. That would've made my job easier." the figure said. When the figure became visible, they saw a tall dark man with a much build who was wielding a long sword and appeared to be wearing some type of armor.

"It's Brass!" Zander exclaimed.

"Wait, you know this guy?" asked Lisanna. Zander didn't answer her, he was too busy staring at the man in front of them.

"Boy, I thought you were supposed be on a job." said Brass.

"My mission has nothing to do with you." sneered Zander. Brass swung his sword causing Zander to somehow be thrown back into a tree further behind all of them.

"Zander!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Oh. So, you took the name Zander huh?" said Brass.

"What are you talking about!?" Lucy shouted.

"I see. He hasn't told any of you yet. That means he hasn't done his job yet. Guess I have to do it for him." Brass said as he approached Lucy and Lisanna.

Lucy was forcefully pushing herself onto her feet. Brass drew back his sword and swung it downward above them, but luckily, Lucy took out her daggers and stopped the sword. The two clashed against each other, while Lucy's wound was still gushing out blood.

"Lucy! You shouldn't be up so soon!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"I don't care. Just go see if Zander is ok." Lucy ordered.

"Um, o-ok." Lisanna said. She quickly rushed over to Zander.

"Heh. So you really think he's your friend? Oh, if only you knew the truth." said Brass.

"What are you talking about? Anyway, it doesn't matter. I trust Zander more than I trust someone like you." hissed Lucy. Brass merely smirked.

"Then let's see if you're willing to die for him." said Brass. He jumped back and his sword began to be surround by a light green aura.

"Lucy, get away from him!" Zander shouted from afar. Lucy looked over her shoulder to see what her friend was yelling about.

**"WIND BLADE: AURA SLASH!" **Brass chanted.

The aura around his sword was launched at Lucy while it took the form of a slash. It was moving too fast for her to dodge. The next thing they all knew, there was a giant explosion that made tree tip over and wind go in all direction. Smoke covered the area for a little bit. When the smoke cleared, Lisanna looked all beat up and was on her knees in front of a fallen tree, Lucy was stuck under a tree in front of Lisanna, and Zander was unconscious a few feet away.

"Lucy!" exclaimed Lisanna.

"Lisanna...thank goodness. You're ok..." Lucy trailed off from coughing up some blood.

"Don't worry! I'll get you out of there." Lisanna said. She got up and tried desperately to get the tree off of Lucy with her bare hands since she was low on magic power.

"Don't bother Lisanna. The tree's to heavy for you and you're low on magic power. Now listen, I need you to use the last of your magic power and go to Fairy Tail. Tell them what's happened to me and Zander." said Lucy.

"What!? No! I won't leave you two!" Lisanna argued.

"It won't help any of us if we all get caught or worse. So hurry. Please." Lucy said, her voice getting softer and softer. Lisanna was almost on the brink of tears.

"RUN!" Lucy shouted. Lisanna flinched and, unconsciously, she stood up and took off running. After getting a good distant, Lisanna turned onto her bird form again and took off towards the guild.

"Well, well. Looks like she escaped. At least I still caught two of my prey." Brass said while walking up beside Lucy, who was still on the ground, with Zander being dragged behind him.

_"Dammit!" _Lucy mentally shouted.

Meanwhile, Lisanna had already gotten a good distance away from the newly leveled forest. But, while she was making her way back to the guild, still flying, tears were streaming down her face and they appeared to never end.

_"Don't worry Lucy, Zander, I'll be back soon." _thought Lisanna.

* * *

><p>*Fairy Tail*<p>

The whole guild was it's usual rowdy self. Everyone was still getting into fights or talking quite loudly when the guild doors suddenly burst open. Everyone turned their heads to see a beat up Lisanna standing against the door for support to avoid falling.

"Lisanna!" Elfman and Mira both shouted, running to their little sister.

"Lisanna, what the hell happened?!" exclaimed Natsu. When the three of them reached the white hair mage, she snapped her head up, tear marks staining her face and her eyes wide open. Lisanna suddenly grabbed Scarf pulling him in closer.

"Natsu please! You have to help them! Lucy and Zander! On the train! In the forest!" Lisanna shouted. She was obviously all shaken up for some reason. Natsu carefully grabbed Lisanna's hands and pushed them away.

"Calm down Lisanna. Now, tell us what happened." said Natsu. Lisanna took a few deep breaths before explaining it again.

"Lucy and Zander, they were both captured." said Lisanna.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"They got captured, but how?!" Gray exclaimed.

"I-I don't know! First, our train had an accident, then this guy that Zander kept calling Brass just showed up out of no where and he started attacking us! The whole forest was leveled because of his weird sword wind magic! Lucy then told me to come back here! God, I should've stayed! I should've been with them!" Lisanna began to sob. Erza placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok Lisanna. If you hadn't run, all three of you would've been captured. Either way, it's a good thing you did what Lucy said." said Erza.

"Yeah. Even knowing she would be captured, she made sure you were safe." Mira said.

"And she was hurt! She was bleeding from such a large gash on her shoulder, but she still protected Zander and I from Brass for as long as she could!" Lisanna sobbed more.

"To think we said all of those bad things about her and she's the only reason you came back to us." mumbled Cana sadly. Almost all of the guild had guilty looks after Cana said that since they all said bad things about Lucy behind her back. Master Makarov had come out of his office after Lisanna returned and he slowly made his way over to Lisanna.

"Lisanna, did you say that the man's name that attacked you and the others was Brass?" Makarov asked.

"Yeah, why?" said Lisanna, slowly beginning to stop crying.

"This bad. Very bad." said Makarov.

"What are you talking about Gramps?" Natsu asked.

"I've heard his name once or twice in my days. In the past, he was know as the Wind Mercenary. He was a master at sword play and wind magic. Combined, he was a force to be reckoned with. Even against me." Makarov said.

"What!? But you're a wizard saint! Can he really be that strong!?" Erza exclaimed.

"I'm afraid so. But, he must have been hired by someone to attack them, since he is a mercenary after all." said Makarov.

"Actually, Brass did keep mentioning Zander having a 'job' that he hadn't accomplished." said Lisanna.

"I knew it! That guy is bad new!" Natsu shouted.

"Idiot. None of us even knew he was here before Lucy told us about him." said Gray.

"Anyway, that doesn't matter now. Wendy, you first heal Lisanna so she can lead the way to where the train crashed. Then, Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, and Gajeel, you will all follow Lisanna and save Lucy and Zander." said Makarov.

After he said that, Wendy got to work healing Lisanna while the rest of the people who were going got ready to go. Lisanna was all healed in a matter of minutes and was ready to go. Since it wasn't to far, they could get there by foot. Lisanna lead the way as everyone else, plus their exceeds, followed as well.

"I hope they'll be safe." said Mira.

"So do I Mirajane. So do I. I also hope that whoever hired Brass isn't even more dangerous." said Makarov.

* * *

><p>*Secret Base*<p>

Lucy slowly began to open her eyes. She heard herself moaning as she woke up. She could tell she was sitting up right against something. When she tried to move, she heard the clanking of chains. Lucy looked up and saw her arms chained to the wall behind her.

"What the...Zander!" Lucy exclaimed. She saw Zander a few feet away from her in the same position, but still unconscious. When she tried moving, not only did the chains stop her, but she felt an intense sharp pain in her right shoulder.

"Gah! Oh, that's right. My wound." said Lucy, looking at her blood stained shoulder. Blood still ran down her right side and more of her clothes were still being stained.

"Ugh. Where am I?" Zander mumbled.

"Zander! Thank goodness. You're awake." said Lucy.

"Lucy!? What are you doing here?" asked Zander.

"That's what I'd like to know as well. Where are we?" asked Lucy out loud.

She looked around the room and saw that it was a brick room that only had one small window with bars over it and one wooden door that was closed shut. Suddenly, the wooden door began to creak open. The man that she recognized as Brass came in followed by a man slightly taller than him that wore a long cloak and a mask over his face.

"I see you've awaken." the masked man said. Zander's face paled, but Lucy didn't notice since she was staring at the two people who had just came into the room.

"Who are you!? What do you want!?" Lucy shouted.

"Ah. Right to the point. Well, my name is Jakkuna and I am the head of the organization called Hollow Demon." said the masked man.

"Hollow Demon? Lucy said in a questioning tone.

"That's right. Hollow Demon is an organization that deals with any kind of black market dealings and asassination jobs." Jakkuna explained.

"Never heard of it." said Lucy.

"Of course you haven't. The only people who do know of it are the only people who are our in my top command. For example, Brass here, and...you're little friend there." Jakkuna said, gesturing to Zander.

Lucy's eyes widen as she snapped her head in Zander's direction. Zander couldn't meet Lucy in the eye as his face was still pale. Lucy's eyes soon returned to normal and she shook her head around a few times before speaking again.

"No, you're lying! Zander wouldn't lie to his friends, and he definitely wouldn't be part of a group that kills!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Haha. Oh really? Miss Lucy, have you heard of Asuma Muto?" asked Jakkuna. Lucy's eyes suddenly widen and, if Zander's face could've gotten paler, it did.

"...Y-yeah. I've heard of him. He's said to be a merciless bounty hunter and nobody knows anything about him, except his name and that he never fails a job. So what!? What does he have to do with any of this?!" Lucy shouted.

"Heh. Miss Lucy, say hello to Asuma." said Jakkuna, once again gesturing to Zander.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"You...you bastard! You're lying! Zander please, please! Tell me he's lying!" Lucy shouted. Zander didn't raise his head. It still hung low as he clenched his fists and grit his teeth.

"Th-then...what he's saying..." Lucy choked out. She slowly put her gaze at the ground in front of her.

"Heh. It seems like the two of you need a minute." said Jakkuna as he and Brass left.

It has been at least ten minutes since Jakkuna and Brass had left Lucy and Zander now, alone in their cell after saying the truth about Zander, and there has been nothing but silence between them. After hearing that Zander was actually the notorious bounty hunter Asuma, she became dead silent and her head now hung low, like she had given up. And Zander, or Asuma, was in the same position.

"...Is...is what he said true...?" Lucy trailed off, finally speaking. Asuma slowly raised his head to look at the blonde mage across from him.

"...Yes. I'm sad to say it is." said Zander.

"Why? They kill people, why join them? And what was your mission?" asked Lucy, slowing raising her voice, along with her head.

"I...I had no choice but to join them. If I didn't, they would've killed me like they did my family at least five years ago. And...the mission was to assassinate Makarov." said Zander, choking out the loud part. Lucy began to clench her fists, soon causing blood to run down her hands. Her back was soon straight up again, but she didn't dare look at Asuma and she had her eyes covered by her bangs.

"Tell me? If you really do hate these people, then why help them? Why didn't you ever try to run?" Lucy asked.

"Like I said, if I ever tried to do anything against them they would've-" Zander was cut off.

"Bull crap! You keep saying that they'll do something to you like kill you if you disobey them, but really, you're just making an excuse for being a coward! You have to take responsibility for this!" Lucy yelled, snapping her head in Zander's direction.

He flinched from her sudden out burst and slightly shifted away while avoiding eye contact. Lucy calmed down and her face soon changed to a sad expression as she went back to looking at the ground in front of her, her body almost going limp again.

"Does that mean that everything we all went through the other day was lie? You being worried about me, being nice to me and Lisanna? All of it?" Lucy mumbled.

After thinking about all of that, tears began to appear in her eyes and one slid down her cheek and landed on her leg. Zander saw this and a new emotion washed over him, guilt. He looked away from Lucy and began to look at the ground as well.

"No. My times with you two were the most fun I've had in a long time." said Zander. Lucy snapped her head in his direction once again.

"At first, joining Fairy Tail was just part of my job, but...after meeting you and going on a mission with you and Lisanna, I was genuinely happy. For the first time in a long time. I never thought I would've fallen as hard as I did for someone like I did with you..." Zander trailed off.

Tears began form and to slide down his cheeks and hit his floor. Lucy also noticed this after a short time. He looked up from the floor to look at Lucy in the eye, and she was surprised to tears forming and falling from his eyes continuously.

"I'm sorry...I was so happy...You were so happy...but, then I ruined it...I'm so sorry..." Zander choked out. He continued to sob as Lucy stared at him.

_"Zander..." _Lucy thought.

She clenched her fists tightly as she ran many thoughts through her head. Suddenly, an idea hit her. She looked down at her waist to see that her belt that had her whip and keys was still on. Her keys were gone, but she still had her whip that she got from Virgo. Lucy moved her waist around for a while, until the whip fell off of her belt and landed near feet. She pushed her back against the wall and began to stand up. Once on her feet, she used her feet to make the whip be thrown into her left hand. Lucy gripped it firmly as she the whip rap around one of her chains. It took a little time, but the chain finally snapped, freeing one of her hands. Zander saw the whole thing and was completely dumb struck. Lucy quickly did the same to the other chain and ran over to Zander.

"Ok, we have to hurry. I think I can break off the bars on that window, but we'll have to hurry." said Lucy as she began to free Zander. Zander had a puzzled and shocked look on his face as Lucy helped him. He was continuously looking at the shackles and broken chains that were on Lucy's wrist and her still bleeding shoulder.

"Why? Why help? Even after I lied to you." said Zander.

"Don't be stupid. I can't possibly hate you. Alright, yeah, you were sent to kill Makarov, but you didn't right? And you said you had fun with me and Lisanna. I can't hate for something you didn't do and I can't hate you because when the rest of my guild wasn't there for me, you were there. Asuma or not, you're Zander of Fairy Tail now and my friend, nothing will change that." Lucy explained, snapping the last chain.

Lucy grabbed Zander's wrist and pulled him over to the window with her. She had him stand behind her as she used her whip to break the bars. Once the bars were broken, she looked out the window to see that their cell was only two stories above the ground and it was right on next to a small hill that was going downward.

"Alright. You can go first. It's only a two story drop and we're right next to a downhill slope. I think we can find the tracks that lead back to Magnolia a mile or so into the forest." said Lucy.

"R-right." Zander agreed. Lucy helped him steady himself on the ledge as he looked down. Right as he was about to jump, the door to the cell swung open, revealing at least three cloaked men.

"Hey, what's with all of this noise?!" a grunt wearing a mask shouted. Lucy and Zander both had looks of shock on their faces.

"The prisoners! They're escaping!" said another grunt.

"Zander! Hurry back to Fairy Tail and lead them here!" said Lucy.

"No! I'm not gonna leave you here! These people will torture you if I leave!" exclaimed Zander.

"I'll be fine. I promise. Now go!" Lucy said as she pushed him out the window.

"Lucy!" Zander shouted as he plummeted, futilely reaching out for her.

"Stay safe!" Lucy shouted, just before two grunts could grab her arms and drag her away.

He landed on the ground right on the slope and rolled down the hill until flat on his stomach. He looked back up the hill at the giant castle like structure. He had to forcibly pull himself away from that spot and began to run through the forest. As he ran, getting faster and faster, he began to use his magic to become a wolf. He was about half as tall as he was in his human form and his fur was the same color of his hair.

_"Lucy, please. Stay alive!" _Zander thought. He continued running, back to where they were originally attacked.

* * *

><p>*Fairy Tail's group*<p>

Lisanna had just lead the others from Fairy Tail to the place where the accident happened. The train was still in the same place near the cliff and the forest was still totally leveled. Saying that they were all in shock was an understatement.

"I-I can't believe this. One man did this much damage?" said Erza.

"But, it's the truth. Look, you can see that the tracks were also damaged." said Wendy.

"Man! I missed out on all the fun!" Natsu complained.

"Aye!" Happy agreed

"Lucy was captured and that's what you're screaming about!?" Gray said.

"And so was Zander!" Lisanna added. Gajeel was simply sniffing the air around the area.

"Yep. It's bunny girl's scent alright. Along with two others." said Gajeel.

"It's probably the one known as Brass and Zander's." said Panther lily.

"Actually, I smell it too. In fact, one's getting closer!" Natsu exclaimed.

"He's right! I smell it too!" Wendy said.

"We don't know if it's Zander or the enemy. Get ready everyone!" Erza ordered. They all got ready to fight. After waiting a few moments, a figure jumped out from the few remaining trees and landed near the group. They all recognized it as a wolf. A large one at that.

"What is a wolf doing this close to Magnolia!?" said Charla.

"And why does it have blue fur?" said Erza.

"Hold on a minute guys." Lisanna said. She slowly approached the wolf.

"Lisanna, be careful." Natsu called out. Lisanna was soon face to face with the wolf. She looked closely at it's eyes and was soon able to make the connection.

"Z-Zander? Is that you?" asked Lisanna. Everyone couldn't help but gasp in shock. The wolf slowly began to slightly shrink and all of it's fur and tail was beginning to retract. It was soon Zander huffing and puffing while on his hands and knees.

"No way! Zander can become a wolf!?" Natsu exclaimed. Lisanna had to help Zander up to his feet while putting one of his arms over her shoulders.

"P-please..." Zander whispered. They all cold just barely hear him since his head hung low, but he then snapped his head back up.

"Please! You have to help Lucy!" Zander practically shouted.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"What do you mean!? What happened to Lucy!?" Natsu shouted while grabbing Zander's collar. Zander was barely lifted above the ground.

"Natsu, stop it! Zander's obviously hurt." said Lisanna as she made Natsu let go. Lisanna had to help Zander sit down.

"True. Wendy, heal him. We'll need him at full strength." said Erza.

"Right." Wendy said as she got to work.

"So, Zander, what happened here? And where's Lucy?" asked Erza.

Zander looked down at the ground and tightly gripped his fists. He soon explained everything that happened, only excluding his real identity. Everyone was shocked about who they were up against and about what happened. But, mainly Natsu, Gray, and Erza, were angry at him. By this time, Wendy had finished. Natsu grabbed Zander's collar again and pulled his face close.

"You just left Lucy behind with people like that!? What the hell is wrong with you!?" Natsu shouted.

"Believe me. I wanted to stay with her, but she made me go." said Zander sadly.

"Why should we believe you!? You're the reason Lucy is even in this whole mess!" said Gray.

"It's not all his fault!" Lisanna shouted. Everyone looked confused about what she meant. Natsu then let go of Zander, who ended up sitting on the ground.

"What do you mean?" asked Erza.

"The whole reason Lucy wanted to go on this stupid job with Zander was because everyone in the guild was ignoring her. And that was my fault because everyone paid so much attention to me." Lisanna began to cry. They all looked at Lisanna with sadness and guilt in their eyes.

"Then it's the whole guilds fault." Gajeel mumbled.

"We were just to blind to see." said Wendy, looking at the ground.

"...None of that matters now. Right now, we have to save Lucy!" Zander exclaimed, keeping his head down. They all looked at him and then each other. They all nodded.

"Alright, since we all share the blame, we all must work together to save Lucy. Zander, lead the way." said Erza. Zander got to his feet and began running back the way he came. They all went running after him.

_"Lucy, please be ok." _most of them thought.

* * *

><p>*At the hideout*<p>

The captured blonde mage, at the moment, was in a smaller cell with a metal locked door and one tiny barred window. Her ankles were wrapped with chains that were chained to the ground and her hands were in handcuffs that were chained to the ceiling, making her have to keep her arms up and stand up. The cell door slowly began to open, revealing Jakkuna and Brass coming into her cell. Lucy looked up with her lifeless eyes.

"Well, that was certainly a surprise. I never thought you would attempt to escape, especially the part where you made Asuma leave instead." Jakkuna said.

"His name is Zander." Lucy hissed.

"Still defending that boy? Even though he's the reason you're here?" Jakkuna said.

"You're the only one to blame, you bastard." Lucy said lowly.

"Heh. You truly are a stubborn girl. But you must know, your action can go unpunished." said Jakkuna.

"Yeah, Zander mentioned that." mumbled Lucy. Jakkuna merely smirked and, with a snap of his fingers, two grunts came in holding whips. When the grunts snapped the whips, they suddenly became flame whips. Lucy's eyes widen after seeing that.

"Brass will stay here to keep watch while they deliver your punishment." Jakkuna said as he left the room.

"You bastard!" Lucy shouted.

When the door closed, the grunts began lashing out at Lucy with their fire whips. All Lucy could do was scream in agony as she felt the heated whips lash out against her skin. Burn marks were made all over her body and her clothes were being torn all over. Brass merely stood in corner as it happened.

* * *

><p>*With Fairy Tail's group*<p>

"We're here." Zander said as they reached the base of the hill where the castle like building was located.

"I can smell Lucy in there!" Natsu exclaimed.

"We can't just charge in there like always. We have to be careful this time." said Erza.

"That's right. I think we should probably-" Zander began, but before he could finish, Natsu went running up the hill and barged into the castle screaming and yelling.

"God! That flame brain never listens!" Gray shouted while running after them.

"Those idiots." Zander grunted running after them as well. The rest of the group followed as well.

* * *

><p>*Hideout again*<p>

Lucy was still in her small cell alone after being whipped. Her clothes were all torn up after wards, so some female grunts had put her in tattered and torn dress outfit that was mainly a cloth that was wrapped around her body, only revealing her stomach and lower legs. The cloth was already stained by all her blood and most of her skin was cover in burn marks. She was hanging her head low while still being chained up. Suddenly, the door began to open slowly. Lucy looked up with her lifeless eyes to see Brass again.

"Here to beat me again?" Lucy quietly said.

Brass didn't say a word. He took out his sword and in on swift action, he cut the chains around her legs and arms. Lucy's body was limp, so she fell to her knees once freed. She shakily looked at her hands and then up at him. He then threw down her belts that held her daggers, keys, and whip.

"Quickly, leave this place. Jakkuna will notice shortly." said Brass as he left the cell. Lucy hesitantly picked them up. She soon heard loud explosions and rumbling. Lucy could easily tell who the only people who could make such a ruckus was. She slowly pulled herself together and wobbled to the door.

"Zander...Lisanna.." Lucy mumbled as she stumbled and limp out of the cell.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As the building continuously shook over and over again, Lucy was limping throughout the halls, trying find at least one of her friends. If she ran into any grunts, she used her daggers or her whip. Lucy now had a few more open wounds then she did before. Her mind was still stuck on Brass releasing her.

_"Why...why did that guy help me?" _Lucy kept wondering.

She was breathing heavily and was on the verge on collapsing multiple times, she had even fallen at least three times already. After coming upon a stair case and walking down a few steps, she tripped over her own feet and tumbled down the steps until she landed on her stomach and face at the bottom.

"D-dammit..." Lucy cursed under her breath. She had to use all her strength to push herself onto her feet. Lucy had to stay against the wall to avid falling again, but now she was moving even slower than before. Suddenly, two grunts came around the corner.

"The prisoner has escaped! Grab her!" they said.

_"No! I'm too weak to fight any more! What do I do?!" _Lucy mentally yelled. She closed her eyes, waiting to be stabbed or whipped, but all she heard was two loud thuds. She opened her eye up just slightly, but they soon widened after seeing the two grunts unconscious on the ground. And the person who was standing above them was Zander.

"Lucy!" exclaimed Zander, running to Lucy.

"Z-Zander..." Lucy quietly called out. She limped towards him, but was about fall once again. Luckily, Zander caught her before that happened. He kneeled down while cradling Lucy in his arms.

"Thank god you're ok!" Zander said while holding her close to himself.

Lucy let out a small and weak laugh while he hugged her. Zander pulled Lucy away to see if she was hurt, that's when he saw all of her burn marks that were, gashes and cut that were bleeding all over and how she and her clothes were stained in blood. His grip unconsciously tightened around Lucy.

"This was ordered by Jakkuna wasn't it?" Zander said with venom in his voice. Lucy nodded her head. Zander pulled her close again.

"I'm so sorry. I never should've left you alone." whispered Zander into her ear. Lucy shakily put on hand on his chest.

"Don't be...It was my choice to stay...remember..?" said Lucy hoarsely. Zander didn't say anything. He just picked Lucy up bridal style and began to carefully run back the way he had been coming from.

* * *

><p>*With the others*<p>

While Zander had found Lucy, Natsu and others were all going on their usual rampage.

"Tell me! Where is our friend!?" Erza shouted as she began attacking grunt after grunt.

"Where's Lucy!?" roared Natsu. They were all taking any person that came their way without hesitation. Soon, all of the grunts were lying on the ground unconscious.

"You guys!" Zander called out, finding the other Fairy Tail mages. They looked in Zander's direction and all immediately saw Lucy in his arms.

"LUCY!" most of them exclaimed. They all came close to Lucy, but she buried most of her face into Zander's chest and gripped his shirt. They all stopped getting closer to her.

"Lucy! You're ok!" said Lisanna, pushing her way past her friends. Lucy slowly pulled her face out of Zander's chest to look at her white haired friend. Lucy shakily raised one her hands out.

"Lisanna..." said Lucy with a small smile. Lisanna tightly gripped Lucy's hand in her own as she used her other arm to half way hug Lucy who was still being held by Zander. Lisanna silently sobbed over her friend. Lisanna soon pulled away.

"Thank goodness. I thought the worst would've happened after what Zander told us." Lisanna said. Lucy's expression didn't change, but when she looked over Lisanna's shoulder to see the others, her expression became one of hatred and slight sadness.

"Why?...Why did they come?" Lucy asked, her voice getting just a little better. Lisanna slightly jumped at that question, but she looked away without answering since she knew why Lucy asked that question. The others looked both hurt and guilty.

"I...I went back to Fairy Tail and brought them. I thought they could help us get you back!" Lisanna explained. Lucy let out a low sigh.

"Of course they'd do what you asked of them..." Lucy mumbled without looking at Lisanna. Lisanna didn't say anything since she understood what Lucy was talking about.

"Lucy, you should at least let Wendy heal you." said Zander. Lucy hesitantly nodded. Zander carefully set Lucy down. Wendy quickly came to Lucy's side.

"Oh Lucy, what happened to you!?" cried Wendy.

Lucy didn't answer, she didn't even look at Wendy. Wendy didn't bother pestering her, so she got to healing Lucy's wounds. All of her open wounds closed and she regained most of her energy. The only thing left was all of the burn marks that were a light pink color on her skin all over her arms, legs, body, and face.

"I'm sorry Lucy. I couldn't heal your burn marks." Wendy apologized. Lucy still didn't speak to her.

"Lucy, you should at least thank her." said Erza. Lucy quickly glanced at Erza, but she then turned away from her again.

"It was Zander who said for her to do it. I never asked." Lucy said loud enough for them to hear.

"Look Lucy, we know what we did was wrong, but-" Gray began to say, but was cut off.

"Don't act like we're all friends again! I still haven't changed my mind about quitting the guild when I get back." Lucy said. After she said that, no one dared to speak. The silence lasted for a few moment, but there was suddenly a loud explosion that happened to a wall that was next to them. Rocks and rubble flew all over the room.

"What the hell!?" Natsu said.

"Well, well. This is certainly a turn of events." said a familiar voice. Lucy's and Zander's face paled.

"Oh god." Lucy said softly. The person who caused the explosion soon stepped through the hole in the wall and came into view.

"It's Jakkuna!" Zander exclaimed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**(A/N: Just as a heads up, whenever I've been saying how Jakkuna's been smirking or laughing, I was saying what he was doing under his mask which covers his whole face.)**

"Jakkuna? You mean, he's the one who had Zander come to Fairy Tail?" Erza said with venom in her voice.

"And he's the one who had Brass capture me and Zander." Lucy said.

"And speaking of Brass, I was quite surprised of his betrayal when he set you free." said Jakkuna. Lucy's eyes widened after hearing that.

"H-how did you know?" choked out Lucy.

"I have lacrimas all over this base. I can see everything." answered Jakkuna. Lucy began to clench his fists and grit her teeth. After Brass freed her, Lucy couldn't shake this weird feeling she had inside her.

"What'd you do to him?" Lucy growled.

Jakkuna smirked and with a snap of his fingers, a magic circle appeared beside him and Brass suddenly appeared out of it. He appeared to be all battered and beaten and laid lifelessly on the floor beside Jakkuna. Brass was breathing heavily and coughed up some blood.

"What the?! What happened to Brass!?" Zander exclaimed. Lucy's eyes now widen in rage and shock.

"Brass!" shouted Lucy as she unconsciously tried dashing to his side.

"Lucy, don't!" called out Lisanna, but it was too late. Jakkuna suddenly appeared in front of Lucy and she ended up being pushed back by some strong force. Lucy flew back a little before landing on her back on the ground.

"Why you..." growled Lucy as she began getting onto her feet.

"Heh. You should be thanking me. I gave him a less painful punishment then I did with you. Well, only a slightly less one." Jakkuna said. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him and was about to try and attack him, but Zander held her back.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Lucy demanded as she tried to break free.

"Lucy, you can't take him on. He's too strong to fight alone." Zander said.

"I'd listen to the boy if I was you." said Jakkuna. Lucy then stopped struggling and Zander let her go.

"I have more power than you can possible imagine." Jakkuna said as he slowly raised his hand. A small black magic circle appeared in front of his hand and then, Lucy was suddenly slammed into the wall.

"GAH!" Lucy cried out. She fell to her knees, coughing and hacking some blood.

"Lucy!" everyone called out.

"You bastard!" Natsu cursed.

"My magic combines deflection and gravity magic. Just by changing a targets gravity, I can make them feel like they're being hit by over ten tons." said Jakkuna.

"Damn you Jakkuna!" said Zander.

"Now, now boy. I wouldn't talk that way to the one man who has kept you alive for so long." Jakkuna said. Zander gritted his teeth together while clenching his fists.

"Shut the hell up!" Lucy shouted after getting onto her feet.

"Oh? Is there something you want to say, miss Heartfillia?" Jakkuna chuckled. Lucy let out a low growl and swiftly took out one of her daggers.

"Lucy, no! You can't let hi get to you." Zander said getting in her way.

"But, he-" Lucy began to say.

"If she wants to fight me, then she can go right ahead." Jakkuna said. Lucy and Zander glared at Jakkuna. Lucy dashed past Zander and ran towards Jakkuna.

"Lucy!" exclaimed Zander. She tried slashing Jakkuna, but he easily stepped to side.

"Hehe. What a pathetic little girl." said Jakkuna mockingly. Lucy gritted her teeth even more. She then used the dagger to cut across part of her arm. The dagger began to glow and it suddenly became a long sword.

"When did Bunny girl get those?!" asked Gajeel.

"Lucy got them before we all let on the mission." Lisanna answered.

"Stop it Lucy! He's try and kill you!" Zander called out.

Without even acting like she heard him, Lucy charged at Jakkuna again. This time, when she swung her sword at him, it just barely grazed Jakkuna's mask over his cheek. Jakkuna touched the scratch on the mask and he didn't do or say anything.

"Way to go Lucy!" Wendy cheered. But, she then stopped talking after seeing Zander. He was shaking and his eyes were wide in fear.

"Zander?" Erza questioned.

"No...this is bad..." Zander choked out.

"It seems I've been getting a little careless. You may be better than I thought." said Jakkuna while letting out a small laugh. Lucy still didn't let her guard down. Jakkuna slowly began to reach for his mask.

"If I were you, I wouldn't try dodging." mumbled Jakkuna.

Lucy had a puzzled look on her face before looking her shoulder and noticed that Brass was on the ground right behind her. She snapped her around at Jakkuna as he began to pull his mask off. Lucy had a bad feeling in her chest and immediately dashed over to Brass.

"Lucy run!" Zander shouted.

But, it was already too late. Jakkuna just barely removed his mask, only revealing one of his eyes. And in an instant, there was a massive explosion along with a blinding light. Everyone covered their eyes after it happened. Once the smoke cleared and the light died down, they all began to open their eyes. And once they did, all of their faces paled and their eyes shrunk. The entire spot where Lucy and Brass were was gone. They could see outside now and that the building was on a cliff.

"S-such power..." Erza choked. Jakkuna placed his mask completely back on his face.

"Lucy!? What happened to her!?" shouted Natsu.

"Heh, with any luck, the little girl and Brass survived the blast. But, they probably fell into the raging waters below." said Jakkuna.

Everyone's expression became full of anger and hate. Before any of them could even try to attack, they were all pushed down to the ground by Jakkuna's magic and could not get back onto their feet. Multiple servant grunts came in not too long after.

"Take them all to the dungeons." Jakkuna ordered. The grunts all got out whips and began dragging all of them away.

"Jakkuna, you bastard!" yelled Zander. Jakkuna snickered and walked away from the group as they were taken away.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Natsu and the others were all thrown into cells of their own after being handcuffed, which canceled their magic, instead of being chained up like Lucy was. It wasn't too long after they were all thrown in that Jakkuna came down the hall where all of their cells were.

"I see you've all been imprisoned properly." Jakkuna said smugly. Everyone in their cells glared and growled at him.

"You bastard! Where the hell is Lucy!?" Natsu shouted.

"Ah yes, miss Heartfillia. As I said before, she and Brass either were killed in that blast or they fell off the cliff below." said Jakkuna.

"No! Lucy would never be defeated that easily!" shouted Erza.

"Hehe. Dead or not, that girl wouldn't be able to stop me. Besides, she is the weakest among you, don't you agree?" Jakkuna said. Almost everyone's faces paled after hearing that, since they were the first ones to call Lucy weak in the first place.

"Shut the hell up!" Lisanna and Zander yelled.

"Hahaha. At least that girl had two fateful companions." Jakkuna said as he left all of the Fairy Tail mages.

* * *

><p>*Cliffside*<p>

At the near bottom of the cliff, someone was clinging to the rocks on the side of the cliff while holding something under their arm. And their hand they were holding onto the rock with was bleeding all over, along with the rest of their body. It was Lucy. She just managed to survive the blast, but most of her wounds ended up reopening and she had no choice but to cling to the cliff to avoid falling off to the water below. Not to mention, she was carrying an unconscious Brass under her arm.

_"Dammit. I can't climb with only one hand." _Lucy thought.

She looked around and sees a cave in the cliff not far from her that had a ledge with it, but she still couldn't move any where. So, she used all her strength and through Brass onto the ledge. He just barely landed on it.

"Ok, now my turn." Lucy mumbled.

She began using her new free hand to climb over to the edge and she easily landed on the edge, but she fell to her knees since she lost all that blood again. Lucy used all her strength to push herself onto her feet and began dragging Brass into the cave with her. After she did, she dropped down against the wall and was completely out of breath.

"The...the others...they're...still back there..." Lucy said still trying to catch her breath.

She slowly began using loose pieces of cloth out of the rags she was wearing to cover up her wounds and to try and at least slow down the bleeding. Lucy let out a few grunts in pain, she managed to bandage up the major wounds. Later on, Brass began to wake up as well.

"So, you're still alive." said Lucy. Brass just now noticed Lucy, he also took a look around.

"Where are we?" asked Brass as he sat up.

"In the cliff side right beside Jakkuna's hide out. We were literally blown out." Lucy explained.

"Then he must've used his extreme magic." Brass said. Lucy raised an eyebrow to that, but she knew she'd face it again later. And besides that, she still had many other questions.

"Hey, why did you free me?" Lucy asked. Brass stared at her for a short time, but then lowered his head.

"I was in debt to your mother." Brass answered. Lucy's eyes widened.

"My mom!? You knew my mom!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Yes. It was when one of y former bosses said now that I finished the job, he wanted me dead. He almost kept his word too. But, at the last minute, your mother came in and saved my life." explained Brass.

"You mean...my mom saved your life?" asked Lucy.

"That's right. And if you're wondering, I no longer have any reason to go after you or anyone from your guild." Brass said.

"You don't?" Lucy questioned.

"No. I'm a mercenary, so if the person who hires me breaks the deal or pisses me off, I quit." Brass said.

"Well, that's good to hear." sighed Lucy. Suddenly Lucy's eyes lit up when an idea came to her when she remembered him saying he was a mercenary.

"Hey, since you don't work under Jakkuna any more, will you please help me save my friends!?" asked Lucy.

"Not interested." answered Brass quickly.

"Please! I can't beat him on my own...Oh! If you help me, I'll pay you what ever you like." Lucy offered. After hearing that, Brass sat and grabbed his sword that was still tied around waist.

"When do we leave?" Brass asked.

"Alright! GAH!" Lucy cried, grabbing her waist. She looked down and quickly remembered that she was injured and happened to have a large burn mark that reopened after the blast.

"How do you expect to fight in that state?" Brass said.

"I...I don't know. I just know...I can't leave them there." said Lucy.

"And just who do you mean by them?" asked Brass.

"What do you mean?" Lucy said.

"As I remember, you were only with the boy and that white haired girl. So before anything else, tell me. Are they the only ones you want to save?" Brass asked with a serious look in his eyes.

Lucy's eyes widened and her face paled. She formed a shaky fist over her heart after hearing that. So many emotions and thoughts were going through her right now. She doesn't know how to answer that question.

_"He's right...What about the others_?..._They deserted me first, I-I should do the same right?...But then, what would Lisanna and Zander say...and besides my feelings, they're all good people..."_ Lucy thought.

"Dammit I don't know!" Lucy shouted while gripping her head.


End file.
